Ragdoll Productions/Summary
Background: Ragdoll Productions is a British TV production company that produces programmes specifically made for little children, founded by Anne Wood, and located in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire in the United Kingdom. Named after Wood's daughter's favorite toy ragdoll, Jemima, Ragdoll Productions is mostly known for creating shows like Teletubbies, Pob's Progamme, Rosie and Jim, Brum, Tots TV, etc. before its inception in the mid-1980's, Wood made shows like Ragdolly Anna and Rub-A-Tub-Dub Before creating Ragdoll and making the first programme by the company, Pob's Programme. Ragdoll also had a small store based on Wood's works which opened in 1992 but closed in 2005 due to expansion limits. In 2006, Ragdoll and BBC Worldwide formed a joint venture called Ragdoll Worldwide, which then held the rights to all Ragdoll programming from Ragdoll themselves, this joint venture was sold to DHX Media in September 2013, causing the rights to the TV shows that Ragdoll created (except Pob's Programme) to be acquired and picked up by DHX, meaning the shows they produced are no longer produced under the "Ragdoll" name. Despite this, Ragdoll Productions themselves are still active to this very day. 1st Logo (October 1985-1995) Nicknames: "The Ragdoll", "The Scary Ragdoll", "Ragdoll from Hell" Logo: We see a black and white Raggedy Ann/Andy-like doll. The ragdoll has stringy hair, button eyes, a triangle nose, a small smile, is wearing a checkered short-sleeve shirt, wears long pants with the same checkered pattern, and is holding a candle above its head with a stylized old gold sun with 12 points behind the doll (ala the 1981 Columbia Pictures print logo). Trivia: * This logo was designed by Malcolm Bird, who illustrated some Pob-related magazines. * The Ragdoll Shop (closed in 2005) used this logo on a hanging sign from its opening in 1992 until 1994. Variants: * On Pob's Programme, The logo is made of fabric. The ragdoll is a lot smaller and is between between the words " A Ragdoll (UK)" and "Production" stacked on top of the words "for" and "Channel Four" (This show was produced for Channel 4). "Channel Four" is under the word "for" and under that is a Channel Four copyright date. Pob appears over the logo, reading a Pob News magazine and to the left of him is a fabric version of the ragdoll shown in the logo, with carrot orange stringy hair, a red checkered shirt, and a shamrock green candle. A female narrator reminds viewers how to send cash or stamps to Pob, while Pob himself chatters over the narration and nudges the ragdoll once. The P.O. box address "P.O. Box 507, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3AL" fades in at the bottom of the screen, in a handwritten font in pastel pink. Pob proceeds to "blow" out the ragdoll's candle, causing everything to go dark. * On Playbox, the doll is next to text saying "A Ragdoll (U.K.) Production for Central". Below the text and logo is a copyright date for Central Independent Television. * On Brum, all the text is in Dom Casual, and just simply says "A Ragdoll Production" with the doll between the "A Ragdoll" and "Production". Below that is a Ragdoll Productions copyright. * At the end of 1993-1994 episodes of Tots TV, the background is a black/dark teal gradient, and the illustration of the ragdoll, the text, and the copyright notice are stacked, and "A Ragdoll Production for Central" in Futura. (U.K.) is omitted from the text. * In 1993, a new print logo was created (originally the print logo was just the doll), featuring the doll on a white background in a rectangle with a white banner saying "Ragdoll" in red text on the bottom. It lasted until 1995. FX/SFX: None. For the Pob variant, Pob blowing out the toy ragdoll's candle, which is actually in live-action. Music/Sounds: None usually, but on Brum, an ascending synthesized piano jingle is played. On Tots TV, the last note of the ending theme plays once the logo appears. Music/Sounds Trivia: The ascending synthesized piano jingle only used on Brum was done on a Korg M1. Availability: Extremely rare. Seen on Pob's Programme, Playbox, Tots TV (BBC airings plastered this with the 5th logo), and Brum (reruns have it plastered with the 4th logo); also some Brum VHS tapes have the logo removed. Editor's Note: *Low to high for the logo itself *Medium to high for the Playbox variant *High to nightmare for the Brum variant, Likely Due To The Unexpected Fanfare. *Low to medium for the Pob's Programme variant *Medium for the Tots TV variant. It depends on what you think of the weird look of the doll with its lack of pupils and bright shine, along with the music in the Brum variant, the tiny doll in the Pob's Programme variant, and the slightly larger doll in the Tots TV variant. But for those who are used to it, none at all. 2nd Logo (Rosie and Jim Custom Logo) (1990-1996) Nicknames: Series 1 & 2 Variants: "The Ragdoll II", "The Rosie and Jim Logo" "The Scary Ragdoll II" Series 3 Variants: "The Ragdoll II Returns" Series 4 Variants: "The Friendly Ragdoll's Cameo" Logo: On a red background, we see the ragdoll (colorized with brown hair) in checkered black and white overalls obscured inside a porthole. The ragdoll is still holding the candle over her, with a "yellow sun" behind it. Below the porthole is a curved banner with red text saying "A Ragdoll Production for Central" and a copyright date for Central Independent Television. Variants: * On Rosie & Jim Series 2, the logo is smaller, and the copyright date is in a different font. * On 2 Direct-To-Video releases titled Learn to Read and Write with Rosie & Jim, the "A Ragdoll Production for Central" part is removed, and the Central copyright date is replaced with a Ragdoll Productions copyright date. * On Rosie & Jim Series 3, the doll was redrawn in checkered red/white overalls, and the sun has more points. The doll still looks identical though. This variant also has the sun wobbling if you look carefully. * On Rosie & Jim Series 4, the logo instead has the doll from the fourth logo. The copyright text can ether be yellow or white. FX/SFX: * On Series 1, its the logo closing like a book cover, so it appears that the logo is on the back of a book. * On Series 2, its a page turning transition. * On Learn to Read and Write with Rosie & Jim, its the logo and text fading in and out. * On series 3, The sun wobbles, if one looks carefully. * On Series 4 the logo is completely still. Music/Sounds: * On Series 1 & 2, its the end theme. * On Learn to Read and Write with Rosie and Jim, the somber/softer arranged version of the 1st logo's own music plays. * On Series 3 & 4, the speed-up version of the next logo's music plays, although one instance music from the Brum variant playing. Availability: Extremely rare. It only appeared on Seasons 1-4 of Rosie and Jim and is preserved on VHS & DVD, as well as re-runs of those seasons. The 1992 variant is even rarer, and only appeared on 2 direct-to-video tapes called Learn to Read and Write with Rosie and Jim, both of which are out of print and are fairly difficult to find. Editor's Note: * Series 1 & 2: None to low, as the lack of darkness lowers the scare factor, although we still have that creepy-looking ragdoll. * Learn to Read and Write: Low to medium. The music still feels very unsettling. * Series 3: Low, the redrawing of the doll makes it look more creepy looking and the music may unnerve some. * Series 4: None to minimal; the music may unnerve some. The fact it has the 1995-2000 Ragdoll also lowers the scare factor because it looks nice and friendly. 3rd Logo (October 6-December 1, 1994) Nicknames: "The Ragdoll III", "Lying Ragdoll" The Scary Ragdoll III Logo: On a black background, we see the ragdoll (colorized with orange hair) in checkered red/white overalls lying over the word "Ragdoll" in a bold, yellow font. The ragdoll is still holding the candle over him, with a "yellow sun" behind it. The sun "wobbles" for a second or two. "works for children" is seen in a small white font, below "doll". Below the logo is "A Ragdoll Production", in the same white font, but bigger. Below that is a copyright date. FX/SFX: The wobbling sun. Music/Sounds: A re-arrangement of the first logo's own music, but played on a different keyboard, and in a different key. Availability: Extremely rare. Was only seen on original airings and VHS tapes of the second series of Brum. It has since been plastered with the next logo on reruns. However The Logo Was Retained On An Old CBBC Airing Of "Brum And The Marching Band" Editor's Note: Low to medium, due to the black BG, and the slightly creepy-looking doll, although the music is a bit tamer. 4th Logo (1995-2002) Nicknames: "The Ragdoll IV", "The Friendly Ragdoll" Logo: We see the same ragdoll from before, only smaller and colorized in checkered teal (or blue)/white overalls and red hair, isn't holding a candle (but we see the "yellow sun" anyway), inside a door-shaped frame, a la Columbia Pictures' '80s print logo. Under the ragdoll, the red word "Ragdoll" is seen. At the bottom of the screen is copyright info. This is typically presented against a teal blue gradient background. Variants: * Sometimes, it had "A Ragdoll Production" (in red), with two yellow squares, under the word "Ragdoll". Other times, the slogan "works for children" appears below. * On an advert for The Ragdoll Shop (a shop where you could buy things based on the shows and play around, not open anymore) an early prototype version of this logo is shown against a green gradient background, and the doll's overalls are red instead of blue and have a leg sticking out. * On a print ad for The Ragdoll Shop, the doll is holding a telephone, is more detailed and the phone is on top of the hotline for The Ragdoll Shop. * On some direct-to-video releases using the characters from Tots TV (which were aptly named Tots Videos), the logo is much bigger. * On Reprints Of Tots TV As Well As The Last Few Seasons Of Rosie And Jim, A Copyright Stamp Is Shown Below. * On Some Tots TV Videos, The Text (A Ragdoll Production) For Central Appears a Below The Logo. * On the 1995 season of Tots TV, the logo is shared with the Carlton UK Productions Logo. * On Teletubbies, under the Ragdoll logo, the BBC logo is underneath. "A Ragdoll Production" is seen underneath as usual. The background is black. On the Spanish version, the logo is shared with the logos for BBC, Discovery Kids, and The Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Company. *On the 1998 VHS Rosie and Jim: Spring Cleaning, we see the words "A Ragdoll Production for ITV", copyright info is seen underneath. * On PBS airings of Teletubbies, the words "A Ragdoll/BBC Production for PBS in association with The itsy bitsy Entertainment Co." is under the logo. * On The Quebec Dub Of Teletubbies Nursery Ryhmes, A Quebec Version Of The Above Logo Exists * On the Tots TV VHS Flying High and other stories, the 1993 Tots TV variant logo is used, but this logo covers up the 1984-1994 Ragdoll. Talk about laziness! * An in-credit version appeared on the PC version of Play With The Teletubbies. On the PlayStation version of said title, the background is solid teal. * On reruns of Brum, the logo appears to be slightly darker. FX/SFX: None. Music/Sounds: The end theme to the show mainly, but on some shows, such as reruns of Brum,the same music from the last logo is used (mainly the sped up or 1st version) or silence. Music/Sounds Variants: * On Tots Video: Tilly, Tom and Tiny's Fun With French, we hear the last note of the theme and then the sped-up music. * On Tots Video: Tilly, Tom and Tiny's ABC's, the music is re-arranged in a music box style. Availability: Uncommon. Seen on reruns of 1991-1994 episodes of Brum, 1995-1998 episodes of Tots TV (and plastered on earlier episodes), the final seasons of Rosie and Jim (The Neil Brewer Era) and on 1997-2000 episodes of Teletubbies. it also appears on the PS1 game Play with the Teletubbies, it also appears on the PC version of the same game, but only in the end credits. The red outfit variant only appeared on an ad for the Ragdoll shop, the ad itself appears on late-1995-98 tapes of Tots Video and Rosie and Jim distributed by VCI (it may appear on Brum VHS tapes, too). Editor's Note: Depending on variant: * Original Version: None. The Ragdoll in this logo looks much nicer and more friendly. * With The 3rd logo's music: Low, as the jingle doesn't begin playing until about five seconds into the logo, when you're not expecting it. * Alternative music variant: Low (even though the music box style is actually relaxing). 5th Logo (2000-present) Nicknames: "The Drawing Smile", "The Ragdoll V", "The Hair and Face" Logo: On a yellow background, we see the black word "Ragdoll". Above the word is a red drawing of a ragdoll's head with eyes, but no mouth. A smile is drawn below the eyes. Copyright info is on the bottom of the screen. Trivia: This logo was made by Lambie-Nairn. Long Version: On a yellow background, the first part of the hair is drawn. After a curve of the hair is drawn, it cuts to the slight middle of the hair which is being drawn too. After that, we cut to the end of the hair being drawn and we zoom out. After all of this, the black word "Ragdoll" fades in. The rest of the logo continues as normal. Variants: * There is a longer version, in which the logo's hair, eyes and mouth are drawn in as the camera shows shots of the logo forming. This appeared mainly on VHS and DVD releases of Ragdoll shows. * On Teletubbies, below is "for" and the BBC logo between the Ragdoll logo and the copyright info. From mid-late 2000, it was seen on a yellow-orange background. From late 2000-early 2001, it was seen on a black background, with a yellow-orange box for the Ragdoll logo. * In the Night Garden uses a logo that is the same as the previous one, but with "for BBC" and the BBC logo below. ** Sometimes, the CBeebies BBC logo would be used instead, this variant would also be used for The Adventures of Abney and Teal. * The Ragdoll Shop used this logo on the hanging sign from 2000 until its closure in 2005. * On Boohbah, the logo is still with the words "A Ragdoll Production in association with GMTV" on the bottom. On some VHS or DVD releases, the long version (described above) plays afterward. * UK prints of Twirlywoos has the logo on the left, next to the DHX Media logo and the CBeebies logo appears on the top. The text "A Ragdoll production for BBC" appears on the top of the CBeebies logo, and the text "produced in association with DHX Media" appears on the bottom of the Ragdoll and DHX Media logos. Below is the copyright date. It takes place on an ocean background. * On 2004 re-runs of Teletubbies, the logo is in white. * On Some Teletubbies UK Releases, Extra Copyright Stamp Info Is Shown * On Let's Learn English With The Teletubbies, The Logo Is Shown Alined Differently. * On Some Prints Of Boohbah, The Logo Reads As "Produced And Distributed Worldwide By Ragdoll" * A Variant Of The Ragdoll For GMTV Logo Exists Where The Smile Animation Is Used * On PBS Prints Of Boohbah, The Logo Is Shown Without The Smile Animation, Then The Text "©PBS 2003" Fades In. * A condensed version of the long version that begins on the final shot of the hair forming exists, this variant replaced the long version and can be seen on the Ragdoll Productions YouTube channel and at the end of Non-UK prints of Twirlywoos before the DHX Media logo. FX/SFX: The smile drawing, or none at all. Music/Sounds: The end theme of the show, or none. Music/Sounds Variants: * The animated variant has a drawing sound, followed by various squeaky party blower-like sounds. * On some episodes and Home Media Releases Of Brum And Teletubbies the last sound from the long version plays over the standard variant. * Teletubbies Everywhere used a pan-drop sound. * On The PBS Boobah Variant, The Sounds Are Sped Up A Bit. Availability: Very common. Seen on Teletubbies from 2000-2001, its spin-off Teletubbies Everywhere, BBC airings of Tots TV, Boohbah, In the Night Garden, Seasons 3-4 of'' Brum'', Dipdap, The Adventures of Abney and Teal and Twirlywoos. Also seen on later UK VHS and DVD releases of Rosie and Jim at the time. Editor's Note: Depends on the variant. * Short Version: None to minimal. The sound can get to a few. * Brum/''Teletubbies'' Variant (some episodes/specials): None to minimal. The last sound from the long version can disturb a few. * Long Variant: Minimal to low. This has scared quite a few young British children, followed with the squeaky sounds which may induce scares, but it's mostly harmless to most people. * With the pan-drop sound/Show's closing theme: None. Regardless, it's still a favorite.